


Tag Team

by blacktofade



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Blow Jobs, Charity Auctions, Creampie, First Dates, First Kiss, First Time, Multi, Pining, Polyamory, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-23 14:22:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19703158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacktofade/pseuds/blacktofade
Summary: Ryan participates in a charity date auction, much to his chagrin. Sara and Shane try to help.





	Tag Team

**Author's Note:**

> Why have two people in love when you can have THREE people in love?? Go big or go home (pls don’t go home; come talk to me about your Ryan/Sara/Shane feelings).
> 
> Based on the prompt: _BuzzFeed holds a silly charity auction, a date with a single and bummed about it Ryan is up for auction and Shane and Sara bid on him in an attempt to cheer him up and also get in his pants._

The thing about working at BuzzFeed is that Ryan never knows what each day might hold — which is simultaneously the best and worst part about it. He could come in one day and help set up a shoot, or assist with script writing, and the next, could be voluntold to participate in some kind of one-off video.

Which is what happens on a quiet Thursday afternoon when Ryan is officially researched-out from the newest season of _Unsolved Supernatural_ and wanders away from his desk to stretch his legs and find something to drink that isn’t lukewarm LaCroix.

“It’s for charity,” Sara says, cornering him in the breakroom, but he can’t say _no_ to her anyway because, well, it’s _Sara_.

He stirs a sugar into his cup of Earl Grey with a little more vigor than necessary. “Is Shane doing it, too?”

“He’s helping with the edits.”

It probably means she’s going to get him to add in ridiculous voiceovers and edits like he does for _Ruining History_. Which also means it’s probably going to be a good video.

“What do I have to do?” he asks, burning his mouth as he takes the first sip of his drink, but Sara’s eyes brighten, like he’s already agreed to it, which he supposes he has. He can’t ask about it and then walk away; that’s not the kind of person he is.

“Okay, so,” Sara starts with an excited inhale, and Ryan can already feel the regret seeping in.

*

And that’s exactly how Ryan becomes the unwitting participant of a date auction. They’re not cruel enough to involve the general public, but emails are sent out using the _buzzfeed.all_ mail list and Ryan ends up with his head on his desk while Shane consoles him by laughing at him. Loudly. It’s not comforting in the slightest.

“It’s for charity,” Shane says, reminding him yet again of the number one reason why Ryan can’t take back his agreement now. He can’t be seen as the guy who single handedly wants to pollute the world, destroy the rainforests, and kick all homeless puppies. He doesn't actually know what kind of charity the video is benefitting, but he's sure it must be one of those. “You’ll survive one date.”

Ryan rolls his forehead against the cool wood below and lets out a breath. “Why couldn’t it be a video about meeting Shaq or Kobe?”

“Forward the email to their publicists and maybe you’ll get a date with them.”

“You’re not funny,” Ryan tells him, turning, but not lifting his head to look at him.

Shane rests his chin on his fist and levels him with a look. “How bad could it be?”

Ryan sits up with a groan. “Don’t say that,” he complains, “you’re going to jinx me.”

“You’re being dramatic. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“I could end up on a date with you,” Ryan deflects, though it’s probably one of the biggest lies he’s ever told.

“You think I’d waste my money on you?” Shane retorts. “Okay, so what’s the best that could happen?”

Ryan cards his fingers through his hair and actually thinks about it for a moment. “Jen could win me.”

“See,” Shane says with a broad gesture, “that would be fun.”

Ryan exhales slowly, but still finds his expression morphing back into worry. “What if I have to go on a date with someone I don’t know?”

“Ryan,” Shane sighs, like he’s an idiot, “it’s a date, not marriage. If it’s bad, you never have to do it again.”

“Can we have a secret code?” he asks instead. “Like if I text you the word _red_ , you have to come rescue me.”

“Or, you could just talk to your date like an adult and tell them you’re not cool with whatever’s happening.”

“Shane,” Ryan pleads. “Just let me have this.”

“Fine,” Shane relents. “You text me, I’ll find a way to steal you away and take you home.”

“Thank you. You owe me anyway because it’s Sara who got me into this mess.”

Shane holds his hands up. “I’m not responsible for Sara’s actions. You need to take it up with her.”

Ryan puts his head back down on his desk and sighs heavily. “Fuck.”

*

“Tell me how this works again,” Ryan says two days later over dinner with Shane and Sara. They’re at a pizzeria a few blocks from their apartment and Sara’s midway through picking the mushroom off her slices and dumping them onto Ryan’s own. She licks pizza sauce off her fingers and glances up at him.

“It’s a silent auction,” she explains. “We’re going to link people to an internal page where they can bid anonymously for the next week.”

“If it’s anonymous, how will you know who wins?”

“It’s tracked using employee ID numbers,” she says. “You’ll be able to see all the bids and the amounts, just not who makes them — that's for my eyes only.”

“Can I bid on myself?” he asks, only half-joking.

“Don’t even try it,” she threatens, and Ryan takes a too-large bite of pizza and chews it aggressively.

“That takes some of the pressure off, right?” Shane says, after chasing a string of cheese into his mouth.

“What pressure?” Ryan asks sarcastically and Shane wipes his fingers on a napkin.

“At least you won’t have to sit awkwardly in front of everyone while no one bids on you.”

“Shane,” Sara warns at the same time that Ryan calls him an asshole.

“I’m kidding. I’ll eat my hat if no one bids on you,” Shane says with a roll of his eyes and Ryan scoffs.

Ryan takes another bite and Sara presses her hand to the inside of his elbow.

“People will bid on you,” she promises. “I chose you because I know you’ll actually generate competition. But if you don’t, I’ll start a bidding war myself.”

Ryan laughs, ignoring the warmth that fills his chest when he thinks about what it might be like to take Sara on a date. He’s practically on a date with the both of them now anyway since he paid for the pizza.

“Thanks, Sara.”

She pats his arm again and then dives back into her food.

*

Later, at their apartment after a couple of beers, Sara sprawls out across the couch to rest her feet in Ryan’s lap.

“Maybe it’ll be like Pretty Woman,” she says as Ryan digs his thumbs firmly into the ball of one of her feet in a half-hearted attempt at a massage, which he thinks is the only reason she put them within reach anyway. “You could get a date with your own Richard Gere.”

“Wasn’t that Harrison Ford?” Shane says from where he’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, idly petting Obi with one hand, holding a bottle of IPA with the other.

Sara shares a glance with Ryan before turning to look incredulously at Shane.

“You think _Harrison Ford_ was in Pretty Woman? And you call yourself a movie buff?”

“I’m a buff of movies where Sandra Bullock isn’t the star.”

Ryan hears Sara’s sharp inhale and knows she’s on the verge of verbally laying Shane out, when Shane holds his hands up in surrender.

“I’m kidding,” he admits. “I know it was Julia Roberts, but are you sure it wasn’t Harrison Ford?”

“Are you trying to quiz me on one of my all-time guilty pleasures?”

“That’s not the point,” Ryan interrupts before it can devolve any further. “The point is that you’re clearly calling me a prostitute in this scenario.”

Sara laughs loudly, like she's taken by surprise, and Ryan has to fight not to smile.

“You _are_ selling your services for money,” Shane argues, making Sara laugh even harder.

“For charity,” Ryan reminds him.

“What did I say?”

Ryan finally breaks, laughing, even as Sara nudges at him with her other foot.

“I meant that maybe you’ll end up having a good time,” Sara complains, pulling out of his reach. “You never know who might win.”

“I’m pretty sure Richard Gere doesn’t work for BuzzFeed,” Shane says. “I don’t think he’ll be eligible to bid. Sorry, Ryan.”

Sara pushes herself up, shoving at Shane with her knee hard enough that he tips to one side, even as he laughs, and then she heads into the kitchen with her empty beer bottle. When she returns, she has a fresh, perspiring bottle in each hand, one of which she passes to Ryan as she sits back down.

“Thanks,” he says with a grin as Shane turns to frown at them.

“Where’s mine?” he asks and Sara presses the cold, wet bottom of her bottle to the back of his neck, drawing a gasp from him instead. “You _dick_.”

Sara grins and tips the neck of her beer towards Ryan for him to tap with his own.

“Cheers,” he says, winking and enjoying the sound of her laughter and Shane’s annoyed spluttering.

*

“Who the fuck is trying to get a date with Andrew?” Jen says from over Ryan’s shoulder where they’re huddled around his computer watching the bids roll in.

Sara had sent out a link for the silent auction to the entire office that morning, and already Andrew is up to eight hundred dollars. Ryan doesn’t know if he’s impressed or jealous. His own offer is hovering at around three hundred from five different bids.

“Does he have to put out for that price?” Shane asks and Jen laughs.

“Andrew would never put out on a first date,” she says before turning her gaze to Ryan. “Would _you_?”

“He has,” Shane interrupts before Ryan can advise her that it’s not her business, and he regrets telling Shane anything about the dates he’s been on recently that have been fun — for obvious, sexy reasons — but haven’t gone anywhere. “More than once.”

Jen’s gaze is predatory, like a shark smelling blood in the water, and Ryan tries to keep his head down.

“I’m not putting out for eight hundred dollars.”

“You did it for free,” Shane points out and Ryan levels him with a look.

“I’m not fucking a coworker for charity.”

"Now we're in the bargaining phase," Shane jokes. "So, what _would_ you fuck a coworker for?"

It's dangerous territory and Ryan's not about to get into it.

"Shut up, Shane," he complains, and Shane laughs, clearly pleased with having annoyed him, before he turns back to his own computer.

"Who do you think is bidding on you?" Jen asks, a blessed distraction and Ryan refreshes the page and shrugs. There's another bid now, bringing his total to three hundred and fifty dollars. "You're a wanted man."

Ryan scoffs. "People are just being polite."

"When has anyone here ever been polite? They want the goods you're selling," she jokes and Ryan pulls his cap down a little lower to try to hide the heat of his face.

"You're the worst," he tells her and she laughs and presses F9 before he can bat her hand away.

There's another bid already and he's now just under four hundred dollars.

"See, I told you."

*

Ryan's the third most popular offer, behind Andrew and Kelsey, and it's unbearable. He gets wolf whistled in the cafeteria by Maycie, and TJ winks and blows him a kiss as he leaves the elevator the day before the auction ends.

It's become an agonizing habit, refreshing the bidding site to see his rank. His highest bid is just under two thousand dollars, which is great for charity, but fills Ryan's stomach with dread because he can't fathom any sane person would want a date with him for that price, regardless of the cause.

“You’re bleeding,” Shane says blandly from where he’s rendering a video. His laptop is whirring loudly from the effort and nothing seems to be responding when he clicks.

Ryan looks down at his hand where he’s bitten the skin down to the quick on his index finger and it’s oozing blood. He licks it away and sighs.

“C’mon,” Shane says suddenly. “Let’s go out for lunch.”

“I can’t I — ” Ryan starts because his workload _is_ overwhelmingly large, but it’s not like he’s getting anything done just sitting there quietly panicking. Shane gives him a pointed look like he already knows.

“Let’s go,” he repeats and Ryan sighs, nods, and logs out in a few quick taps of his keyboard.

“Where?”

Shane shrugs loosely. “Tacos?”

Saying there are a lot of taquerias in L.A. is an understatement and with anyone else, Ryan would sarcastically ask them to narrow it down. But with Shane, he already knows which place he means. There’s a tiny cantina they frequent that does the best fish tacos Ryan’s ever had, but it’s also across the other side of the city.

“Want to Uber?”

Shane shakes his head. “Sara drove us this morning. I’ll go get the keys from her.”

“She can come with us,” he says, a little selfishly. “I mean — if she wants. If you’re okay with that.”

Shane pauses for a moment and then his expression softens. “I’ll see if she’s free. Meet you out back?”

Ryan nods. “I’m gonna find a bandaid for my finger.”

Shane laughs and pats him on the shoulder as he passes.

*

“Have you tried just not worrying about it?” Sara jokes, halfway through a mouthful of her carne asada fries. There’s a dab of guacamole at the corner of her mouth that’s more than a little distracting, and he should be complaining at her for not being funny, but instead he’s thinking about wiping it up and licking it off his thumb.

Ryan blinks away as Shane does exactly that, the action thoughtless, like it’s just a thing they do, and Sara grabs the nearest napkin to be a little more thorough. He focuses on squeezing lemon onto one of his many tacos to keep his hands busy.

“Don’t tease him, Sara,” Shane says, though Ryan can tell from his tone that he’s not serious. “He’s got a large bounty on his head.”

“ _Guys_ ,” he complains and someone — he thinks Sara, judging from the size — nudges his foot with their own under the table. He looks over at her. “Can’t you just tell me now who won me?”

“You’ll find out tomorrow,” she says with a glance at Shane, who suddenly seems preoccupied with mixing his beans and rice together into the disgusting mess that he always seems to enjoy eating.

“Can you give me a _hint_?”

“This was supposed to be fun for _everyone_ ,” Sara tells him, taking a sip from her water cup. “You love attention. I wouldn’t have asked you to help out if I’d known you’d get this anxious.”

“I’m not anxious,” Ryan lies and Shane outright laughs at him.

“What would you call it?”

“There’s just a lot of — anticipation.”

“Was that a Rocky Horror joke?” Sara asks, digging back into her fries and Ryan grunts.

“No,” he promises and Sara makes a noise of disappointment.

“You’ll survive,” Shane tells him. “You regularly go into places you think are haunted. You’ll be fine on one date. Who knows — maybe it’ll be someone you like.”

There _are_ a lot of people Ryan likes at work. He tends to get along with everyone, but he also knows he could be the juiciest mango on the tree, but there will still be people who just don’t like mangoes.

“Ryan,” Sara interrupts, prodding his arm firmly. “Do you think someone you don’t get along with is going to spend two thousand dollars on a date with you?”

“I don’t — ”

“ _No_ , Ryan,” Shane adds. “The answer is no. I know this person likes you.”

Ryan sighs before he realizes what Shane says. He snaps his gaze to him and then glances between him and Sara.

“You told Shane?” he accuses. “You told him who’s winning?”

“The auction hasn’t ended,” Sara tries. “It could change.”

“ _You told him_. When? How long have you both known?”

Shane doesn’t crack, but Sara’s expression of regret says all he needs to know.

“This whole time?” he says, trying to sound as disappointed as possible for maximum guilting.

“We’ve told you enough,” Shane complains, doubling down. “You knew what you were getting into when you signed up for this.”

Ryan thins his lips. “Sara asked me to do this.”

“You could've said _no_ ,” she retorts and Ryan laughs.

“I can _never_ say no to you guys,” he admits before he realizes and the heat of embarrassment creeps up his face. He avoids their stares and digs into another taco to keep his traitorous mouth from saying anything else.

It’s quiet between them, but the sound of Ryan’s chewing is loud in his ears.

“That’s cute,” Sara says after a beat and Ryan glares the best he can with her smiling so brightly at him.

“No, it’s not,” he argues. “It’s hazardous to my health.”

“It’s cute,” Shane agrees, ignoring him completely, and Ryan knows they’re ganging up on him. “It’s also good to know.”

Ryan turns his gaze on him and frowns. “No,” he says and Shane grins, knowing he’s found a weakness.

“Nuh-uh. You can’t say that word around us.”

Ryan scrunches up his napkin and throws it at Shane’s head, but Shane bats it away easily and it disappears into Sara’s lap. She drops it back onto the tabletop with a lighthearted roll of her eyes and Ryan finds himself smiling regardless.

“Look,” Sara says. “I’m not spoiling the surprise, but I think you'll really like who won you. And if not? You can take it up with me.”

“And me,” Shane adds, and Ryan blows out a long breath.

“Fine,” he says after a moment, “but you’re still both on my shitlist for keeping secrets from me.”

Shane and Sara share a look and Sara gently nudges at Shane with her shoulder, both of them smiling in a way that makes Ryan’s stomach swoop. Not being able to say no to them is only scratching the surface of Ryan’s issues, but it seems like a good red herring to avoid them finding out anything more damning.

He returns to his tacos and another foot — this time Shane’s — finds his under the table.

*

“Big day today,” Shane says prodding Ryan in the shoulder with his elbow. He has a cup of tea in each hand and a smile on his face that Ryan just isn’t feeling. But he’s also wearing a soft, gray button-up and Ryan is _definitely_ feeling that.

“I’m ready for it to be over,” Ryan tells him, even as Shane shoves one of the teas into his weak grip. “Oh. Thanks.”

“Have you seen Sara? This one’s for her.”

Something strangely warm settles in Ryan’s stomach, and it’s definitely not just the tea.

“Uh, last I saw, she was with Andrew. He’s doing his reveal first.”

Shane tips his head in acknowledgment and turns to leave, but barely makes it two steps away before he abruptly returns. Ryan swallows thickly as Shane looms over him, and for a hot second, Ryan forgets how to breathe. Helpfully, Shane knocks an exhale right out of him as he pats Ryan solidly on the chest.

“Remember,” he says, voice low, like it’s a secret, “just don’t panic.”

Ryan wheezes like all the air has been let out of him as Shane walks away without a backwards glance.

“Easy for you to say,” he gets out weakly, as Shane raises a thumb up, still not looking at him. “Cheater.”

*

“Is this really necessary?” he asks Sara as an intern carefully slips a blindfold over his eyes. He doesn’t know how said intern drew the short straw, but it’s not the most glamorous of jobs when it’s probably a producing job they’re after. Even with his eyes open he can’t see anything at all, so he just shuts them for efficiency.

“Yes,” Sara tells him firmly enough that he knows he can’t argue, but they’re probably filming already so they can’t be too mean to each other, lest the internet get the wrong idea. “Andrew and Kelsey loved it.”

“Who won them?” Ryan tries, but a hand pats his cheek gently.

“No spoilers,” Sara tells him before moving her hand to his shoulder and guiding him backwards a step. “Okay, stay right there. You’re perfect.”

Ryan blows out a breath and flexes his hands, reminding himself that it’s almost over and he’s almost free. But it feels like half an eternity waiting for everyone to be ready and there’s a lot of shushing from people on set and a few unexpected laughs that don’t help settle his stomach.

“Okay,” Sara says eventually, and Ryan can feel sweat building up on the back of his neck from the overhead lights. “Ryan, are you ready to find out who won you in the first annual BuzzFeed date auction?”

“God,” Ryan says, “is this going to be a thing now? ‘Cause this is the last year I sign up for it.”

“It’s a yes or no question,” she deadpans and Ryan sighs, partly for the camera, but mostly for himself.

“Yes,” he replies, regardless of the fact that he’s not.

“Move that bus!” someone calls out and it sounds a lot like Jen, which earns a handful of laughs.

“Go ahead, Ryan,” Sara says, “take off the blindfold.”

Ryan inhales, pushes the blindfold up, and exhales.

The lights are too bright after having his eyes closed for so long and he blinks against the sensory assault. There are two cameras pointed at him and Sara and Shane are standing almost hip to hip in his eyeline, but there’s no one else around and his stomach sinks. Dread fills his body as he wonders if maybe the bids were faked and no one actually wanted to win him.

He glances over his shoulder, just in case there’s someone there instead, but it’s just an off-white backdrop.

He opens his mouth, ready to ask what’s going on when he looks back at Sara and Shane, and Shane offers him a wink that brings his brain to a screeching halt.

He blinks, blinks again, and then his mind seems to restart.

“Wha — ” he says aloud and Sara grins.

“We might have cheated,” she says and Ryan gets the sudden urge to just sit down, right where he is — so he does, his legs too weak to keep him upright.

Shane laughs, taking a lumbering step towards him. “You okay, buddy?”

Ryan covers his face. “You guys are the biggest assholes.”

Sara laughs, suddenly closer, her hand passing over his shoulder comfortingly. “Yeah, we deserve that one.”

When he looks up, she’s staring down at him, her expression warm, like maybe it’s not actually a joke — at least not entirely. He glances at Shane, who winks again, as if he knows Ryan isn’t the slightest bit immune to them.

“Did I get both of you?” Ryan asks and Shane’s smile widens.

“Like we said: we cheated a little.”

“Technically, Shane won you,” Sara admits, “but we’re a package deal.”

Ryan knows that all too well. His brain barely bothers separating them these days and he doesn’t know where his attraction for each of them starts or ends. It’s all sort of unfairly muddled together.

“What do you think?” Shane asks. “Want to maybe stand up?”

Ryan glances at the cameras and knows he should. He hopes them having to readjust to shoot him sitting on the floor hasn’t messed up their focus because if they have to do it all again with Ryan pretending he’s finding out for the first time, it’ll be a true nightmare.

He holds his hand out and both Shane and Sara reach for him, but Shane’s the one who gets there first. He grips tightly and pulls Ryan to his feet with a grunt of effort. When he’s upright again, Shane pats him solidly in the center of his chest and Ryan feels rocked by it.

“Aren’t you happy to be won by your favorite people?” he asks and Ryan blows out a breath.

“Would I call you my favorite?”

“Ouch.”

“Sara might be though, but I’m, uh, relieved?” Ryan admits and the smile Sara shoots him is genuine and not visible to the cameras — it’s just for him. “I could have done a lot worse.”

“Sick burn to the rest of BuzzFeed,” Sara jokes and Shane scoffs.

“There’s still time to make you regret saying that,” he tells Ryan and Sara elbows him gently.

“We thought it might be fun,” Sara admits. “Plus, it’s a little spicy.”

She wiggles her eyebrows and Ryan laughs, feeling a little steadier with their usual banter. He thinks maybe he might actually survive this after all, though it’ll depend on what kind of date they want to take him on.

“It might be _too_ spicy for the internet,” he points out, but figures they’ve already had that conversation before deciding to expose themselves to the wrath of YouTube.

“The internet is an extra spicy place,” Shane says. “Is that word losing meaning to you? ‘Cause it is for me.”

“We’re not really worried,” Sara tells him with a gentle smile. “It’s just what we want.”

She says it like it’s that easy and Ryan really wishes it were.

“So, what do you think?” Shane asks and Ryan doesn’t think he has an actual answer for that, so he shrugs.

“Too late now,” he jokes. “You already won me.”

“You’ll let us take you wherever we want?”

Ryan thinks he would even if there wasn’t a charity auction, but he nods and shrugs, like it’s not the most life-changing deal he’s ever made. “Sure.”

“Group hug,” Sara says, pressing into Ryan’s space before he can complain, pulling Shane along with her to sandwich Ryan between their disproportionately large and small bodies.

He looks at the camera, feeling a lot like he’s Jim from _The Office_ , but hopes his panic isn’t too visible and it just seems like a well-timed joke.

*

Ryan’s climbing into the backseat of an Uber next to Sara when Shane points his phone at them from where he’s scrunched up in the front.

“It’s eight-thirty on this beautiful Saturday morning and we’ve just added a Bergara to our collection,” he says, clearly filming, and Ryan pulls the peak of his cap down just to annoy him before buckling his seatbelt. “Too early for you, Ryan?”

“Where are we going?” Ryan tries, but Shane ignores him.

“We got you your favorite to help.”

Sara holds out a Starbucks cup and Ryan can already smell the mint of the tea he usually gets.

“Oh,” he says, surprised, and Sara smiles like she enjoys doing things that are unexpected. “Thanks.”

“This is just the beginning,” Shane tells him. “We’re going to set the standard for all of your dates from this day forward.”

He ends the video, dropping his phone into his lap, but Ryan doesn’t have a good retort because he believes every word of what Shane says. He’s going to be ruined forever.

*

“Can I look yet?” Ryan asks as he’s manhandled out of the car. “I already know where we are.”

“Play it up for the camera,” Shane jokes because Sara’s the one filming this time as Shane has both of his hands pressed over Ryan’s eyes. His palms are warm and soft and smell like the breakfast sandwich he’d eaten in the first two minutes of their twenty minute drive.

“Wow,” Ryan says sarcastically, “I’ve never been to this place in my whole life and we’re definitely not all annual pass holders.”

Shane pulls his hands away, revealing the familiar entrance to Disneyland, still a fair distance away from where they’ve been dropped off. But nevertheless, his stomach flutters at the sight of Sara and Shane standing together waiting for his reaction.

“Gee, guys, you shouldn’t have,” he deadpans and Shane reaches over to swat at him while Sara laughs. 

“You love this place,” Sara says, and she’s right. Ryan is actually pretty excited to spend a day with them here, but he thinks they already know that. “Plus, we’ll buy you all the popcorn you can eat.”

“Can I get a souvenir bucket?”

“If that’s what you want,” she says, and there are a lot of things Ryan wants and can’t have, so he’ll accept the smaller victories.

“Okay,” he agrees with a soft smile, and he feels weak when Sara stops filming and holds out her hand. He takes it in one of his own and lets her pull him towards the front gates.

“What about me?” Shane complains and Ryan glances over at him.

“I have two hands,” he says, holding his free hand out but knowing it’s probably only a game of chicken for Shane. But Shane actually takes it, his larger palm engulfing Ryan’s, and Ryan finds himself smiling again, unable to help it.

The date could end there and then, but it would still be the best he’s been on in a long while.

*

“What are we doing, Ryan?” Sara asks, phone out again, camera focused on where he’s standing in line, casually scrolling through Instagram to help pass the time. He locks the screen and shifts his attention to her.

“We’re waiting to meet the lesser-known Madej brother,” Ryan jokes as Sara pans over to and zooms in on a nearby sign that has a picture of Chewbacca on it.

“Real funny,” Shane complains from beside them. “Yuk it up, you goons.”

"Are you excited for a family reunion?" Sara asks, shifting the camera to focus on Shane.

"Why you little — " he starts in an exaggerated voice, grabbing the phone and ending the video before she can complain. She laughs and leans into his space for a kiss, and Ryan wants so much he can barely breathe.

*

“I’m only allotting a few minutes of screen time for each of the top five dates,” Sara explains between sips of her Icee. Her tongue is blue. Shane’s is cherry-red and he keeps taking pictures of it to post on Instagram. “The focus for this video is meant to be on the charity. I’m interviewing the CEO next week.”

“It’s a good cause,” Ryan says, switching his frozen lemonade into his other hand because it’s too cold. “You’ve raised a lot of money for them.”

She laughs like he’s told a joke and shakes her head enough to bounce her curls.

“I wasn’t really expecting that response from everyone,” she says, glancing at Shane. “We thought we'd get maybe a couple thousand total. Instead, we’re about to write them a check for ten grand.”

She’s flushed with happiness and her smile is contagious.

“You two alone contributed twenty percent of that. Was someone trying to outbid you the whole time? Was the joke worth it?” Ryan scoops too much frozen lemonade into his mouth and gives himself brain-freeze.

“Sara thought I was trying to outbid her for a while there in the middle,” Shane tells him, making Sara smile again, though it’s somewhat wistful this time.

“Were you?”

“No, she accidentally bid against herself using my account.”

“You logged into _your_ account on _my_ computer,” Sara complains, like it’s an old argument and Ryan laughs, unable to help himself.

“Doesn’t explain why you spent so much,” Ryan points out. “I’m not even worth ten bucks.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Shane says. “You’re at least a twenty.”

“But like one of the ones you find unexpectedly in the pocket of your favorite coat,” Sara adds, which is surprisingly sweet.

“Are you judging us for how we spend our money?” Shane jokes and Ryan laughs.

“Kinda, yeah.”

“Do you hate charity, Ryan? Is that why?”

“Jesus, Shane,” Ryan blurts out, jabbing Shane in the side with his elbow and glancing around to make sure no one can overhear. “Shut the fuck up.”

Shane grabs his arm to keep Ryan from elbowing him again.

“We should go for food soon,” Sara interrupts and Shane squeezes his arm and lets him go.

“What time’s the reservation?”

“one forty-five,” Sara says at the same time that Ryan asks,

“What reservation?”

They both smile cryptically at him, but Ryan thinks he can figure it out.

“Are we eating at the Blue Bayou?” he asks, heart beginning to pick up in his excitement. “I love that place.”

“Today’s your lucky day,” Shane tells him, but Shane doesn’t know how on the nose he is. Everything about the day makes it lucky for Ryan.

“You guys — ” Ryan starts, trying to think of what he should say, but comes up empty handed.

Shane leans against the railing at his back, coincidentally pressing against Ryan’s arm in a way that hints that it isn’t accidental. On his other side, Sara rests her forearm on his shoulder, letting it hang casually. Ryan goes back to his frozen lemonade because it’s all too much.

*

“What did you get?” Shane asks, phone camera pointed at him across the candle-lit table. The setup is a lot more romantic than Ryan remembers it being the last time he visited.

“Jambalaya,” Ryan says quickly, because the sooner Shane finishes whatever bit he’s recording, the sooner Ryan can eat. Which he _really_ wants to do because it smells fucking amazing.

Shane pans over to the plate of lamb Sara ordered and then his own bowl of vegetable pasta, and Ryan is definitely going to try to steal a bite from each because they almost look as amazing as his own. But the second Shane sets his phone down, Ryan digs in because it would be a true tragedy for it to get even the slightest bit cold.

When Ryan’s chasing the remaining grains of rice around his plate, Shane leaves to use the restroom.

“If he pays the bill, I’m going to fight him,” Ryan tells Sara after Shane takes longer than usual.

She shrugs crookedly, but the corner of her mouth quirks and gives her away.

“You’ll have to take it up with him,” she says, taking a delicate sip of her water. “If that’s what he’s even doing.”

Ryan groans and leans back in his chair, hating that he can spot Shane the second he returns, just from the way he towers over everyone else.

“Did I miss anything good?” he asks as he sits back down, glancing between them.

“Ryan wants to fight you,” Sara tells him and Ryan groans again.

“Oh yeah?” Shane asks, turning to look at him. “What else is new?”

“You didn’t have to pay for my lunch.”

“What part of _this is a date_ don’t you understand?” Shane asks with an expression like he thinks he’s won.

“I go Dutch on dates all the time,” Ryan argues. “You’re not as progressive as I always thought you were.”

Sara laughs as Shane rolls his eyes and says, “You can buy us churros later.”

“Or beignets,” Sara quickly interrupts. “For dessert. They’re just around the corner.”

It’s probably one of the best ideas Sara’s ever had. Even Shane looks interested and he’s not really into desserts.

“We can do that,” Ryan agrees and she excitedly drums her index fingers against the tabletop.

“Best date ever,” she says, looking at Shane, who in turn, looks at Ryan.

“You tryin’ to steal my girl?” Shane jokes, but Ryan just laughs, because he can’t tell the truth that he’s trying to steal both of them.

*

The line for the Haunted Mansion is surprisingly long as they pass by, which means that instead of joining the end of it, they find a bench near the waterfront to sit and eat their pastries.

“We can do it later,” Ryan suggests and Sara shrugs like it’s no big deal.

“I want to get a photo of us in front of the castle before it gets dark anyway.”

It’ll most likely be part of the video’s thumbnail, but it means Ryan should probably make sure he doesn’t have any leftover powdered sugar on his face. Unlike Shane, who has a line of it leading down towards his chin.

“You eat like a child,” Ryan tells him, gesturing towards his own face to make a point.

Shane wipes his mouth with the back of his arm and misses the mess entirely. Sara laughs and Shane frowns before jutting out his face like he’s waiting on one of them to clean it off. Logically, that person should be Sara, but she’s licking sugar off her fingers and doesn’t seem to be in a rush to help.

“Just put me out of my misery,” Shane complains and Ryan reaches out to brush it away with a gentle touch that he’s almost certain Shane leans into.

“You’re good,” he says, pulling his hand away and Shane smiles at him like he actually means it.

“What about me?” Sara asks, turning her face one way and then the other. “Am I good?”

She has a smudge near her nose that Shane swipes away with his thumb before tucking a loose curl behind her ear in the same motion. It’s practiced, like Shane’s done it a lot, where Ryan has only thought about doing it a lot.

He looks back out towards Tom Sawyer Island and tries to distract himself.

*

“Okay,” Sara says, hands jostling Ryan, “stay right here in the middle. You’re gonna be the filling of the Shane and Sara sandwich.”

“Try saying that five times fast,” Shane murmurs from his right side, while Sara moves to his left.

There’s a cast member in front of them with Sara’s phone, poised to take their picture, but Ryan feels anything but ready.

“We’ll take a serious one and then a fun one,” Sara says. “I’ll decide later which one I like more.”

Ryan bottles up the sigh he wants to release and instead curls one arm around her waist and the other around Shane’s own. They both press in closer and Ryan’s smile feels anything but natural as the cast member takes a series of shots of them.

“Okay, now the fun one.”

Ryan doesn’t like the sound of it because sometimes they don’t quite agree on their versions of fun.

“Don’t move,” she tells Ryan again, like he even has enough sense to. “I’m going to kiss you.”

“ _What_?” he asks, so shocked by the admission that he does actually move and turn towards her, which is unfortunate when her lips are already puckered to kiss his cheek. She misses and catches the corner of his mouth instead and Ryan rears back immediately, smacking directly into Shane’s side.

“ _Shit_!” he yelps. “I’m so sorry.”

He can’t even tell if he’s trying to address Sara or Shane, but his face is hot with embarrassment, as Sara begins to laugh.

“Oh my god,” she says, eyes scrunched in delight. “First date kiss in front of the castle. A girl couldn’t ask for more.”

“God, Sara, I’m sorry,” Ryan tries again and Shane’s heavy hand comes down on his shoulder.

“Don’t sweat it, Ryan,” Shane tells him. “She should have given you more warning.”

“I was looking for a natural reaction,” Sara tries to argue, but Shane steps forward to collect Sara’s phone from the now awkward-looking cast member who doesn’t quite seem to know how to respond to the mishap.

“We can try again later,” he says and he doesn’t seem angry, but he doesn’t seem pleased either. Ryan doesn’t like not knowing how Shane feels. He’s usually so vocal about everything that Ryan never has to guess. Now, Ryan’s left floundering, quietly following behind as they head in the direction of Adventureland.

*

They have a hissed argument ten steps in front of Ryan the whole way there and Ryan honestly wonders if they can just call the date done and go home instead. The worst part is that Ryan can’t even mock Shane for the fact that he has to fold at the waist to be able to argue at Sara’s level. He looks ridiculous, but Ryan knows it’s not the right time for a joke. Sara would probably appreciate it, but he’s not about to test that theory.

“We’re going on the Jungle Cruise,” Sara says unexpectedly, glancing at him from over her shoulder. There’s a soft blush across her cheeks, but she doesn’t seem upset. Beside her, Shane straightens and then pauses to let Ryan catch up.

Sara leads the way to the end of the line, zig-zagging around railings that seem unnecessarily narrow and Ryan feels trapped when Shane stops on his other side, looming over him in the way that he usually does, but somehow feels worse now.

A borderline awkward silence falls between them and Ryan clears his throat. “A rose between two thorns,” he jokes and Sara laughs, before elbowing him. When he glances over, Shane rolls his eyes, but the corner of his mouth curls up.

“You think you’re funny and you’re not,” Shane tells him, even as he reaches up to squeeze Ryan’s shoulder, and Ryan breathes out a slightly easier breath.

It doesn’t completely fix things, but it gives Sara a launching point for a half-hearted rant about the theoretical rose bushes she wants outside her theoretical house, but that she’ll never have because it’s L.A. and homes are too expensive. Ryan lets the sound of her voice curl around him as he leans his hip against the nearest railing.

*

Ryan knows he should leave it alone, but he can’t help it. In the darkness, waiting in the slow shuffling line for the Haunted Mansion, Ryan has unexpected courage.

“I really am sorry,” he starts, apropos of nothing and Sara shifts beside him. “It was an accident.”

“I know,” Sara tells him, tugging at one of the curls of her bangs. “I think if you were trying to kiss me on purpose, I’d know it.”

Ryan swallows thickly and tries not to think about it too much.

“Would you feel less weird if you kissed me too?” Shane asks. “That way no one can feel left out.”

“That really doesn’t help,” Ryan says, more honest than Shane probably understands.

They reach the edge of the moving walkway to get onto the ride and Sara grabs his hand and pulls him forward.

“We can’t all fit,” he says, looking towards the attendant for help, but they’re already assisting the next group behind.

“C’mon,” Shane says, nudging Ryan forward, until he has no choice but to clamber in with them, squishing into a space clearly not designed for three grown adults — Sara on one side of Ryan and Shane on the other. “This is romantic.”

“This is claustrophobic,” Ryan corrects, but then the lap bar swings inwards and there’s no going anywhere.

As though he knows that, Shane lifts his arm and drapes it around the back of them, resting his palm on Sara’s shoulder. The inside of his arm is hot along the line of Ryan’s shoulders and Ryan’s glad for the darkness because it hides the flush on his face.

“Cozy,” Sara says, wiggling against his side and he can feel her gaze on him, but refuses to turn his head. He’s only just recovering from the last time he did that, and he’s not in the habit of making the same mistake twice.

As they trundle through the haunted hallways, it falls quiet between them and Ryan wonders if they’re going to let him enjoy the ride in silence.

“Y’know,” Shane begins, somewhere near the middle, and Ryan doesn’t even bother trying to keep his heavy sigh inside. He slouches lower in the seat, his right knee nudging into Sara’s thigh. “I bet they catch people playing tonsil hockey on this ride all the time.”

As they slowly roll past a series of ghouls, Ryan raises his eyebrows. “Nothing sexier than dead people,” he deadpans and Sara leans against him as she laughs.

“Do you think there are any real ghosts in here?” she asks.

“Are you saying these ghosts _aren’t_ real?” Shane retorts, making her laugh again. “What a disappointment.”

“You’d think Disney could afford real ones,” Ryan jokes.

“They could turn this into a murder ride and harvest ghosts from all the guests.”

Ryan turns towards Shane, even in the darkness. “What the fuck is wrong with your brain?” he asks, and Shane’s breath is warm on his face when he laughs. Ryan quickly looks forward again. “I knew you were an idiot the moment I realized you paid two grand to spend a day with me, but now I know for sure that you were dropped on your head as a child.”

“One grand,” Shane corrects. “Sara paid for the other.”

“That doesn’t help your case,” Ryan points out and Shane knocks their knees together.

"Are you calling me an idiot, too?" Sara asks and Ryan shrugs under the weight of Shane's arm.

"I mean, kinda. You two _are_ a package deal and you both decided to spend your money on me."

"We didn't think we'd have to fight so many people to win," Sara admits.

"Did you have to budget for me?” Ryan jokes. “You could've given up and I never would have known."

"That's the problem though," Sara says. "Then you wouldn't have known."

"What? That my suspicion that you’re both idiots was confirmed?"

“That we were serious about what we wanted,” Sara says instead, and her tone isn’t as light as it was before. He thinks she’s actually being honest.

“Yeah,” Ryan says carefully, “I’m sure everyone in the office knows not to mess with you now.”

“It’s not them we care about,” Shane says bluntly and Sara’s hand lands on Ryan’s forearm, startling him more than he wants to admit.

“We wanted _you_ to know how serious we are,” Sara explains and Ryan swallows. He’s not entirely sure he knows exactly what they’re getting at or what’s on the table, but he worries about how thin the ice is beneath their feet.

After a beat of silence, Ryan says, “You could’ve just _told_ me.”

“ _Shit_ ,” Shane says emphatically, loud enough that Ryan worries about nearby children. "You mean we just wasted two grand?”

Sara takes her hand off Ryan’s arm to reach around and smack Shane in the center of his chest. “Shane, I’m trying to be serious here.”

“So am I,” Shane complains. “I could’ve put that money towards something good.”

“ _Hey_ ,” Ryan protests as Sara gives Shane another thump.

She’s leaning into his space, laughing, as the ride rounds the final corner and comes to an end. “C’mon,” she says, with a nudge as the lap bar raises and finally frees them, and Ryan’s not in a position to argue, so he goes with the flow.

Shane’s hand settles into the small of his back as they head for the exit, and Sara’s fingers stay tucked in the crook of his elbow.

*

It’s dark out when they emerge, and Ryan thinks they probably have enough time to go on _Pirates of the Caribbean_ again before the fireworks, but instead, Sara and Shane usher him towards the waterfront, near where they ate their beignets earlier.

“Look,” Sara says, and Ryan is — he’s hasn’t really stopped looking since the day he first realized he wanted them both. “We’re kind of taking a leap of faith here.” She draws in a breath and glances quickly at Shane, who stuffs his hands into his pockets and hunches slightly, like he’s bracing himself. “If this was a real date, what would you think?”

Ryan laughs before he can help himself, mostly because it’s not what he expects her to say. But the thing is that it already does feel like a real date. They’ve done all — if not more — of the things Ryan’s done with previous partners at Disney. There’s just perhaps less hand-holding and fewer quick, stolen kisses while waiting in the lines.

He thinks if this were a real date, he’d never want it to end.

Instead he says, “Like out of ten?”

“Yeah, Ryan,” Shane deadpans. “Out of ten, where one is you texting me your little codeword to get me to take you home and ten is you realizing this is actually a date and has been all day.”

“I thought that was the point,” Ryan says weakly. “You won a date with me.”

Shane levels him with a look and Sara touches his arm again. “Did we misread things?” she asks softly and Ryan tips his head back to exhale in a rush. Her hand falls away when he moves to card his fingers through his hair, and he misses its warm comfort.

“Oh god,” he says and when he glances back down, Sara’s closer to Shane and they’re sharing a look like they think they’ve fucked everything up.

“It’s okay, Ryan,” Shane says carefully. “We’ll just take you home and we can pretend this didn't happen.”

“ _Fuck_ ,” Ryan gets out, covering his face with both hands before dragging them down it. “Fuck."

He carefully lowers himself to sit on the curb at the edge of the railing he's leaning against and after a moment, he peers back up at them. Sara's tightly grasping Shane's wrist and seems about ready to run if Ryan's not careful. Shane looks calm, but that's normal and probably doesn't mean anything.

"I didn't think I was being obvious," Ryan admits gently and Sara glances at Shane before letting him go to squat down to Ryan's level.

"It's okay," she tells him, beginning to reach out for him before seeming to think better of it and instead tugging at a loose strand at the edge of the hole in her jeans at her knee. "You really weren't."

"It was enough for you to notice."

Sara takes a breath. "We didn't really know what it was. We thought the date auction might give us an opportunity to find out, but we think we're only making things worse."

Ryan rubs at his forehead and Sara finally touches his knee. "We can just go home," she tells him and Ryan takes a steadying breath. "Nothing has to happen."

"Happen?" Ryan asks, dropping his hand to look at her and then Shane. "What would happen?"

"That's up to you," she says and Ryan's stomach sinks.

"Like, if I continue being obvious, we can't be friends? Is this an ultimatum?"

" _Jesus christ_ , Ryan," Shane says with enough force that Ryan leans back. "You've complained all day about _us_ being idiots, when _you_ were the idiot all along."

" _Hey_ ," Ryan complains and Sara slaps at Shane's shin.

"Shut up, Shane," she orders before softening her tone for Ryan. "No, it's not an ultimatum. We're trying to give you the reins."

He looks between her and Shane, and Shane shrugs loosely. "See? We probably should have just talked to you instead of donating two thousand dollars for the chance to say we were interested."

Ryan's brain comes to a screeching halt. "What?"

"What?" Shane asks in return, resting the tips of his fingers on Sara's shoulder.

"We kinda messed it up," Sara admits, but Ryan's brain is still caught up on the fact that apparently they've been telling the truth and it's been a real date the entire time. "We understand if you don't want things to go any further."

" _Further_?" Ryan asks, voice pitched higher than he'd prefer it to be.

Sara watches him for a moment before offering a sweet smile, the kind she usually gives Shane when he holds a door open for her or brings her a can of soda when he grabs himself one from the break room. It's soft and simple, and when her hand comes up to touch his face, Ryan thinks he stops breathing.

"Whatever you're comfortable with," she tells him and he can hear his heartbeat thudding painfully loud in his ears.

He wets his lips unconsciously and Sara tracks the movement of his tongue in a way he isn't sure he's allowed to appreciate.

"That's your cue," Shane says from above them, and Ryan would startle were he not so keenly aware of being watched by him the whole time. "She wants you to kiss her."

Sara doesn't protest. She says, "Make it better than the one in front of the castle."

Ryan could argue that so-called kiss was just an accident until he's blue in the face, or he could lean in and close the distance between them, and that seems so much easier, so he does.

Sara's mouth is softer than he expects and she makes a quiet noise like she didn't think Ryan would actually kiss her, but it takes only a fraction of a second for her to slide her hand just a little further back to his jaw and return it.

Ryan thinks he might buzz right out of his skin at the fact that it's happening. He's wanted for so long, but he's never really stopped to think what it would be like if he was allowed to have it.

Sara gives him a series of closed-mouth kisses that he finds himself melting into until he realizes she's still waiting for him to take the reins. He brushes his tongue along her bottom lip and she breathes a soft, relieved-sounding sigh into his mouth as she opens for him.

Without thinking, he brings a hand up to thread his fingers into the hair behind her ear, but finds he's not the only one there already. He pulls back with a rush of air, his gaze immediately dropping to look at the soft pinkness of her mouth, before tracing along to where his hand rests at the side of her head, right next to Shane's own.

He swallows and looks up at Shane, who's watching them carefully, the very slightest hint of color on his cheeks. He's an intimidatingly long way up, but he untangled his fingers from Sara's hair to hold his hand out to Ryan.

"Come here," he says and Ryan looks at Sara again briefly before answering.

"I don't know if I can," he says and as Shane's expression shifts, he realizes he needs to explain or else Shane's going to continue thinking Ryan's only interested in Sara. "I want to,” he promises, “but my legs feel like Jell-O."

Sara laughs and tips her head back to look at Shane, the corners of her eyes crinkling with her happiness.

"C'mon," she says to Ryan, holding out her hand as she pushes herself upright again, "we'll both keep you standing."

Shane offers his hand again, this time alongside Sara's, and Ryan finds himself just staring at them — the delicate lines of Sara’s to Shane’s broad palm — before biting back a grin and accepting both. He doesn’t mean to stumble, but Shane catches his arm with a laugh.

“You weren’t kidding,” he says and Ryan doesn’t even mean to step on Shane’s foot either, but it’s a nice bonus.

“Can I put that on my resume?” Sara asks, as Ryan curls his fist into the shoulder of Shane’s shirt for extra support. “Special skills: making men weak at the knees.”

“Sure,” Shane says, at the same time that Ryan says, “No.”

She laughs and runs her hand down Ryan’s side, giving him the gentle encouragement he needs to tug at Shane’s shirt. Sure, he could push up onto the tips of his toes to reach, but he likes the easy way Shane bends just enough for Ryan to brush their mouths together.

It should be weird — they’ve been friends for so long and it shouldn’t be a boundary they’re allowed to cross, but Ryan’s also wanted it for so long that it overpowers all of his other feelings.

It’s a tentative kiss, their noses nudging until Ryan turns his head a little further to the side, enjoying the novelty of the sound of their stubble rasping together. He’s seen Shane kiss Sara enough times to know he has a certain style, but that doesn’t happen this time. He keeps it soft and slow, like for once in his life he doesn’t want to scare Ryan away.

A hand brushes his shoulder, but both of Shane’s are firmly on his waist, which means it must be one of Sara’s.

“Remember this is Disneyland,” she jokes, even as Shane slips Ryan a little tongue and Ryan would laugh, except that it’s everything he wants.

When Shane tries to pull away, Ryan gets a hand behind his head and pulls him back in.

“Mm’not done,” he mumbles against Shane’s mouth and enjoys the feeling of Shane smiling into the kiss, even as Shane disentangles himself and lets Ryan sway back a little, still unsteady on his feet.

“Huh,” Shane says, glancing at Sara, who’s now a lot more flushed than Ryan remembers her being.

She rubs at the bridge of her nose — a nervous tick — and says, “That was hotter than I expected it to be.”

Shane laughs, but Ryan swallows because he understands her completely. If he feels this way after just a little kissing, he’s going to be ruined whenever things progress. Sara meets his gaze and he’s just thankful he’s clearly not the only one reaching that conclusion. He clears his throat and finds himself leaning into Shane, just for some stability.

“It was enlightening,” he agrees and Shane laughs again.

“You two are a good match.”

“Yeah, and you get to deal with us both, now,” Sara tells him, reaching out to find his hand. Their fingers link together effortlessly after years of practice and Ryan can’t help but wonder if he’ll get there one day with them too.

“We should go find a place to watch the fireworks,” he suggests, well aware that there’s a general migration of people having the same idea and heading in the direction of the castle. He figures he’s earned some time to stand and watch some controlled explosions while his brain catches up with the entire situation.

“That sounds good,” Sara agrees with a smile, and Shane nods, his gaze moving between the two of them in a way that warms Ryan’s chest.

*

The fireworks are fun, but Ryan mostly enjoys the way Shane stands too close, letting the warmth of his body press along Ryan's side. Sara stands in front of them, mostly leaning against him, but she keeps tilting her head to share what Ryan thinks are significant looks with Shane.

The one time Shane dips low enough for her to whisper something in his ear, he pulls back with a warning, " _Sara_."

Her face scrunches up as she laughs and when she glances at Ryan, he looks away before realizing he no longer has to hide that he's watching her. She smiles and rubs a hand along his forearm like she knows and Ryan leans down to press a kiss to the top of her head, just because he can.

"What did you say to him?" he asks and she goes to reply, but Shane presses his palm over her mouth.

"Nothing," Shane says and Sara rolls her eyes. "Don't listen to her."

He moves his hand away and Sara immediately shifts to Ryan's other side, out of Shane's reach. She folds her hands atop Ryan's shoulder and leans in towards his ear.

"Watch how annoyed Shane gets when I do this," she says and she's right, because Shane immediately moves to pull her away, even as she laughs and says, "See, I told you."

"Sara," Shane sighs, "we talked about this."

"We talked about a lot of things and got them wrong," she points out and Ryan gets the distinct impression they're talking about him, but the finale of the fireworks starts and he can barely hear himself think, let alone Sara's soft voice.

He focuses his gaze upwards and tries not to startle when a small, Sara-sized hand slips into his back pocket. She nudges at him enough to make him look over again and when she beckons him down with a tip of her head, he goes easily.

“Are you trying to annoy Shane again?” he asks, mouth close to her ear to be heard over the popping of fireworks, but she shakes her head.

“No,” she says, “we agreed that we should probably stop assuming things and just ask you.”

Ryan laughs and murmurs, “Ask me what?”

“Come home with us.”

It doesn’t sound like a question; it sounds like Sara quietly telling him what he should do. His stomach flips and he glances over at Shane, who’s already watching them.

"How else am I meant to get home if not with you guys?" he asks, though he thinks that might not be what she's referring to.

"No, I mean stay the night with us."

Ryan appreciates the fact that she doesn't beat around the bush, but it makes his hands start to sweat. It might be too much for one day, but Ryan honestly doesn't care. He wants them every way he can get them.

“Shane wants this, too?” he asks, swallowing his nerves. “Or was this what he was annoyed about?”

“He’s worried I’m going to scare you off. He thinks I’m rushing.”

He keeps his stare on Shane. “And what do you think?”

She runs a palm over his shoulder before settling it on his sternum. “I think I’ve been waiting long enough.”

Ryan finally blinks away, pulling back just enough to look at Sara instead. Her expression is serious, like she knows exactly what she wants, and Ryan doesn’t know what to do when it’s turned on him instead of Shane. It still feels wrong, somehow, but she moves her hand to his jaw and draws him down.

It’s a dirtier kiss than the last, not at all appropriate for Disneyland, but he doesn’t try to stop her because he wants it too. Every part of her is so soft and Ryan thinks he’d have to be stupid to turn down her invitation.

"Yeah," he murmurs against her mouth, "let's do this."

As he returns to kissing her, he’s dimly aware of people moving around them, but it’s the hand on his shoulder, squeezing firmly, that finally brings him back to reality. He pulls away from Sara, realizing the fireworks have finally ended, and Shane’s carefully bracketing them with his body as the crowd begins to disperse.

“He’s coming home with us,” Sara says and Shane shrugs like he already knows.

“I’ve ordered an Uber,” he admits, but keeps staring between them, like they might not make it home before he gets his hands on them. “We should go find it.”

"You should listen to Sara more often," Ryan tells him. "She has great ideas."

Shane shoves him, but it’s in the direction of the exit, which means it’ll never hold up in court whether it’s meant to dissuade or encourage him. Ryan grins and lets Sara lead the way.

*

Shane’s the one to unlock the front door, but Sara’s the first inside, dropping her purse beside her shoes and wandering down the hallway towards the bedroom. Ryan looks at Shane, who throws the deadbolt and then unlaces his sneakers to kick them off haphazardly.

“She’s just going to take off her face,” Shane tells him.

“Like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre?” Ryan jokes and Shane huffs out a breath of amusement.

“But less sexy.” Ryan laughs easily and Shane takes two steps closer. “There’s really no pressure tonight,” he says gently, like Ryan might spook at any moment. “You don’t have to stay.”

“You keep telling me that and I might get a complex. Did you want me to leave?”

“Nope,” Shane says quickly enough that Ryan knows it isn’t a lie. “No, I don’t want that. I just — I don’t want you to regret anything.”

Ryan glances at Shane’s mouth, long enough to be noticeable, before meeting Shane’s eyes again. “I’ve thought about it long enough," he admits. "I don’t think regrets are going to be a problem.”

Shane reaches for him like he can’t help it, and Ryan goes willingly, practically melting against Shane as he’s pulled into a kiss. It’s deeper than the one earlier, with a lot more intent now there’s no one around to judge, but it’s languid enough to make Ryan a little crazy. In the Uber back, he'd pictured a lot of things for how their night might go down. Everything had been a lot faster, more frantic in his mind, but he thinks this is okay, too.

Especially so when Shane nudges him back against the wall behind and gives a slow grind of his body. Ryan pants, open-mouthed, against Shane’s lips and feels like a horny teenager for getting hard just from one single brush. He blames the anticipation, because he's been halfway there since the fireworks, and he’s thought about them almost every night for months.

“You're making a habit of this,” Shane murmurs in between lazy kisses, and Ryan really doesn’t know why he wants to talk now of all times, though he supposes that’s pretty typical of Shane.

“Huh?” he hums as Shane moves to mouth at his jaw instead. “A habit of what?”

Nipping at his skin, Shane says, “Hooking up after a first date.”

Ryan pulls back to look up at him, feeling strangely like he might be taking a risk as he says, “I don't think this is a first date.”

Shane pauses, his gaze slowly taking in the entirety of Ryan’s expression, but he doesn’t seem concerned. “Sara’s been trying for months,” he admits and it feels like Ryan’s heart misses a beat. “It’s a technicality thing. I don’t think a date counts unless everyone knows about it.”

“Well, we all know about it now.”

Shane nods. “Yeah,” he agrees and Ryan swallows.

“You know how I said I wouldn't fuck a coworker?” Ryan asks quietly, waiting until he has Shane’s entire attention before admitting, “I lied.”

“Twice,” Shane tells him. “If you fuck two coworkers, that means you lied twice.”

“A technicality,” Ryan parrots at him before dragging him back into a kiss, trying his best to nudge Shane in the direction of the bedroom. Shane’s a big guy, which means he can’t be nudged around much, but he goes willingly, hooking a finger into the front pocket of Ryan’s jeans to tug him with him.

Ryan knows what Shane’s bedroom looks like — sort of. He helped them move in and to prove it, he still has a scar on his ankle from when their bed frame accidentally scraped him when they’d been trying to get part of it through the doorway. But it looks different now. It has the little lived-in touches, like a couple of Sara’s work shirts on the floor by the closet, and a half-dozen empty cans of sparkling water sitting on the nightstand waiting to be recycled.

Across the room, the bathroom door is open and Sara’s leaning against the frame, patting her face dry with a hand towel. She looks different without makeup — softer — but she’s no less what Ryan wants.

“Did you start the party without me?” she asks, gaze unashamedly lingering on the tented front of Ryan’s pants.

“No, he’s just easy,” Shane jokes and Sara turns the bathroom light off and tosses the towel over her shoulder, moving towards them, like she knows exactly what she wants and how to get it.

“Well, that’s good,” she says, plucking gently at the front of Ryan’s shirt. “Cause that makes our job easier.”

When she curls her arms around his shoulders, Ryan drops his hands to her waist, where the hem of her shirt rises up. Her skin is soft under his fingertips and he wants more of it, as much as she’s willing to give him. She presses up onto her toes and it’s easy for Ryan to stoop just enough to kiss her. She apparently got the same memo as Shane because she doesn’t hold back now; she returns his kiss like she’s trying to take him apart, and honestly, Ryan thinks she’s mostly succeeding.

From behind, Shane crowds against him and it should feel too constrictive, like too much at once, but Ryan mostly feels enveloped in warmth. Shane grinds gently into his back, rocking him forwards into Sara, who presses a soft noise into his mouth.

“What do you want?” Shane murmurs into his ear and Ryan has no idea. He has no idea what’s even on offer.

“Everything?” he says, earning a laugh from Shane and sending a shiver down Ryan’s back.

“We can do that,” Shane tells him, hands winding their way around Ryan’s hips to squeeze firmly at his dick. Ryan lets out a choked-off sound, bucking forwards and jostling Sara.

She doesn’t hesitate when she starts to unbutton her shirt and Shane’s hands are unfathomably distracting, but Ryan never once blinks away, watching Sara expose more and more creamy, white skin until she shrugs out of her blouse. She’s wearing a turquoise bra that makes her breasts look incredible and part of Ryan wants to ask her to keep it on, but the rest of him wants to see the entirety of her.

She reaches behind her back for the clasp and Ryan swallows as the straps slide down her arms. She holds his gaze as her bra falls away, dropping quietly to the floor, but Ryan’s the one to look away first when he stares unashamedly down at her chest.

“What do you think?” Shane asks, but he’s still got his hand on Ryan’s dick, which means he knows _exactly_ what Ryan thinks.

Ryan reaches out, bracketing Sara’s sides with his hands, his thumbs tucked up under her breasts. He can feel every breath she takes, the way her ribs expand and contract under his palms, and when he glances up, she’s watching him, her lips slightly parted in interest, a perfect flush on her cheeks.

He drags one of the pads of his thumbs across a peaked nipple and she lets out a shuddering breath.

“Can we move this somewhere horizontal?” she asks, reaching out to set a hand on Ryan’s shoulder like it’s difficult to stay upright. Ryan isn’t about to complain. He nudges her backwards and to the right, in the direction of the bed, and she goes easily.

She drops onto the mattress with a bounce and immediately scoots up to sprawl amongst the pillow. She spreads her legs like an invitation and Ryan knows without a doubt he has to get up there to pull her pants off. But before he can move, Shane gets his hands under Ryan’s shirt and tugs upwards. Ryan raises his arms, letting Shane drag it up and over his head, and when he turns, Shane kisses him, his hands immediately settling on Ryan’s chest.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do this,” Shane mumbles, tracing his fingertips between the line of Ryan’s pecs and down to his abs. “You keep getting more and more ripped and I've had to just _ignore_ it.”

Ryan sets his hand on Shane’s forearm and says, “You don’t have to now.”

Shane pulls him closer again and his mouth is insistent, his tongue even more so as he licks between Ryan’s lips. It’s easy to get Shane out of his shirt, even with his mile-long limbs, and it reveals a tuft of hair at the center of his chest. Ryan runs his fingers over it, just because he can, and Shane laughs.

“Not as sexy as you,” he teases and Ryan shrugs with a smile.

“How about you let me decide what I think is sexy.”

Shane opens his mouth to retort, but gets cut off when something hits him with a soft _fwap_. Looking down, Ryan realizes it’s a bunched up pair of pants, and when he turns to Sara, he finds she’s managed to wiggle out of her jeans herself. She parts her legs, showing off a skimpy pair of black panties.

“Those are not Disney appropriate,” Ryan tells her and she cocks her head to one side.

“They’ve been giving me a wedgie all day, so you better make this worth it.”

“You planned this,” Ryan says, but Sara shakes her head, shifting her curls about.

“No, I took the advice of my high school counselors and I dressed for success.”

“Be the change you want to see in the world,” Shane says from over Ryan’s shoulder and Ryan thinks he should take that to heart. Which means he doesn’t hold himself back from climbing onto the bed and crowding over Sara.

Her hands rub along his biceps and Ryan lets himself do what he’s been wanting to do for a while, and drops his head down to take one of her nipples into his mouth. She arches against him, letting out a little _oh_ of surprise as Ryan circles his tongue around it.

The bed dips beside them as Shane spreads himself out, and when Ryan darts his gaze to the side, he finds Shane’s missing his pants and has a hand down the front of his boxers. Sara cards her fingers through Ryan’s hair and Ryan gently drags his teeth along her nipple before moving to the other.

“She’s sensitive,” Shane tells him and Ryan loves that he has so much to learn about both of them. He gets to figure out what makes them tick. “She’s probably already wet for you.”

Ryan’s so hard, but it helps to rub against the bed. He runs his palm down her front, thumbing at the hollow of her hip before moving his hand down to her thigh.

“Is this okay?” he asks in between mouthing at her breasts and she blows out a heavy breath.

“I’m just gonna give you blanket permission for everything,” she says. “I want it all.”

He nips at her skin and feels like he’s making the right choice to press his hand between her legs, nudging her underwear to one side to slide a finger down where she’s wet and warm.

“Oh my god,” she hisses, bucking into the touch with enough force that his fingertip slips inside accidentally. He makes it less accidental by pushing two fingers into her, but she’s already wet enough to take them with a punched-out moan. “Oh god.”

He grinds down, unable to think about what it might be like to get his cock inside her, because he’s pretty sure he’ll come before he even gets the tip in. He curls his thumb down to rub at her clit and her knees fall apart even further.

“Shane,” she pants, throwing a hand out to grab at Shane’s shoulder. “Fuck, he’s so good at it. I told you he would be.”

Ryan seriously can’t handle the thought of them talking about him like that; how they might have discussed what it would be like to have Ryan in their bed. It could have been their foreplay for all he knows, and he’s not strong enough to be given that knowledge yet.

“Keep going just like that,” she tells him, and Ryan isn’t going to argue. He wants to watch her fall apart and the sooner he can make that happen, the less bad he’ll feel that he’s going to come as quickly as his sixteen year old self used to.

He shifts up, just to find her mouth with his own, but she hums against him as Shane reaches out to continue playing with her nipples in his stead.

“You could fuck her,” Shane tells him, like that isn’t what’s going to be Ryan’s downfall. “She’d like that.”

“Do you always speak for her?” Ryan asks, kissing along Sara’s cheek before tugging at the lobe of her ear with his teeth. He draws back at Shane’s silence, worried that he’s managed to upset things already, but Shane’s sharing a private smile with Sara.

“He has a thing,” Sara explains with a breathy laugh. “He’s gross.”

“At least we’re in agreement,” Ryan jokes and Shane takes his hand off Sara long enough to flick him in the chest.

“You can, though,” Sara says, pushing against his hand. “You can fuck me.”

Ryan drops his head to her shoulder and lets out a long breath. “I don’t think I can,” he admits, his face hot with embarrassment. She freezes beneath him, her hand trailing down to his neck, cupping it with gentle fingers.

“I’m sorry, are you — ” she glances between them and Ryan realizes immediately that she’s jumping to the wrong conclusions — she thinks he can’t keep it up.

“No, no,” he says quickly. “I am _definitely_ interested. I just — I’m not gonna last.”

There’s a pause before Shane says, “Who said anything about needing to last?”

Sara lets out a surprised laugh and finally moves against his fingers again. “Is it me?” she asks, looking up at him from under her bangs. “Shane came in his pants the first time we hooked up.”

“Hey!” Shane complains, though he doesn’t sound the slightest bit like he means it. “That was between us.”

“It’s solidarity,” Sara tells him. “Boner solidarity.”

Shane laughs and rolls on his side just enough to lean in and kiss her.

“C’mon then,” he says to Ryan, giving him a nudge with his elbow. “Let me show you how it’s done.”

“That’s really not the problem,” Ryan replies, but he still pulls back, surreptitiously wiping his fingers on the sheets as he switches places with Shane, pausing only slightly when Shane sneaks in a kiss.

“Pants off,” he murmurs against Ryan’s mouth, his eyes bright, though Ryan can’t decide if it’s with humor or excitement — maybe both.

“Yeah,” Sara says, even as she slips her own underwear off and begins tugging at Shane’s for him to do the same. “We have bets on what you’re packing.”

“I think I’ve made a mistake,” Ryan says, even as he unfastens his pants and pushes them down his hips and legs. He makes the mistake of looking across as Shane flings his boxers aside, and he pauses in surprise. “Are you — ”

“Naturally that big?” Shane jokes, giving himself a firm stroke, and Ryan hates that his own cock jerks in interest, even as he scoffs.

“ _No_ ,” he insists. “You’re just — ”

“Is this the first foreskin you’ve seen in person?” Sara asks with a laugh, reaching down to run her fingers along the underside of Shane’s cock, thumbing at the tip where precome is gathering.

“No, I — ” he pauses before thinking better of it. “Fine — yes.”

“Oh, you’re gonna love it,” Sara tells him, spreading her knees and letting him see where she’s open and ready for Shane. “He knows how to use it, I promise.”

Shane shoots him a wink, but it really doesn’t help because Ryan forgets how to breathe as Shane pushes one of Sara’s thighs to the side a little more as he nudges the tip of his cock against her and presses inside.

“Don’t you — ” Ryan starts, an attempt to ask if maybe they want to use condoms since he’s new to this thing, but watching Shane slip inside Sara, Ryan really doesn’t want to interrupt.

The combination of how wet Sara is and Shane’s insistent pushing means he slides in easier than anything and Ryan reaches down to touch himself, feeling overwhelmed. Shane keeps rubbing at Sara’s clit with his thumb and she’s making soft noises every time he bucks forward into her.

“That’s it, Shane,” Sara tells him, but when Ryan looks up, she’s watching him. “Just like that.”

Ryan has to look at the ceiling for a minute to keep himself from coming and he feels so out of his depth. He always thought Shane would look ridiculous having sex, but he’s so, so wrong. Sure, Shane is all limbs, ridiculously huge in every sense, but compared with how tiny Sara looks under him, it does something to him. He can’t stop watching the way Shane fills her and how wet his cock is every time he pulls back out.

“We thought about this so much, Ryan,” Sara says, and he thinks that’s part of what’s getting her off, what’s making her curl a leg tightly around Shane’s waist to pull him in deeper. “We want you to — ” she cuts herself off with a moan, her arms wrapping around Shane’s shoulders.

It means Ryan can’t see much, but he really doesn’t need to. It’s already enough, just watching and listening to them moving together. His hand is practically a blur on his cock and he’s ready to come, but he wants them to fall apart first. He doesn’t want to miss it.

“Shane, _Shane_ ,” Sara pants. “C’mon, I’m right there.”

Shane thrusts just a little faster, a little harder, and Ryan wonders what it would be like to be on the receiving end of them. He wants that — he’s never been fucked, but he thinks he’d like Sara talking him through it as Shane takes him apart.

“Ryan,” Sara gasps, pulling him from that line of thought. “Get up here.”

Ryan scrambles to obey, wanting to give them both exactly what they want. Sara puckers her lips and it’s easy to lean in and meet her halfway, his dick all but forgotten, because he has more important things to focus on. She moans into his mouth, the fingers of one hand tangling in Ryan’s hair, her others clutching at Shane’s shoulder.

He feels the exact moment she comes undone, her whole body shaking as Shane gets her there with steady movements, never once breaking rhythm, and that’s something else Ryan wants to be on the receiving end of.

Sara breaks the kiss enough to draw in a ragged breath, exhaling against Ryan’s chin in a sudden rush.

“Oh my god,” she wheezes, like she’s half-starved for oxygen. “Holy shit.”

Ryan wonders if sex for them is always like this, but he can’t be certain, because Shane looks over at him, picking up the pace just a little more, his hands gripping white-knuckled at Sara’s hips as he pushes into her. The noises are obscene and he’s never going to be able to even listen to Shane breathing at work beside him without remembering this moment, but it’s perfect. He holds Ryan’s gaze up until the moment he presses into Sara as deep as he can go and lets out a guttural noise as he comes.

It’s too much. Ryan has to get his hand back on his dick before he dies of blue balls, but it feels twice as good now. Sara’s watching him quietly, not even seeming to pay attention to the way Shane kisses at her neck as he comes down from his orgasm. They both seem boneless and happy and Ryan wants to be part of that.

“Shane,” Sara says, nudging at him gently. “Shane.”

Shane finally lifts his head and looks over, watching Ryan with a fondness he can’t handle. He rolls to the side, which Ryan doesn’t expect, and then he pushes at Ryan’s hip until Ryan sprawls out onto his back.

“Can I put my mouth on you?” he asks and he’s honestly lucky Ryan doesn’t just come right then and there from the question alone.

Ryan has enough sense to nod and then Shane’s shifting around to replace the pressure of Ryan’s hand with his mouth, forcing a strangled moan out of him.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he curses. “Fuck, I’m going to come.”

It’s so stupid — Shane barely bobs his head more than a half-dozen times before Ryan’s toes are curling and he’s digging his head back into the covers. He knows it’s enough warning time for Shane to pull away if he wants, but he doesn’t. He seals his lips around the tip of Ryan’s cock and sucks with enough pressure that Ryan’s vision whites out. The noise Ryan makes doesn’t sound human and he swears he’s never in his life come so hard, but Shane swallows around him like it’s no big deal, just another day in paradise.

Ryan stares at the ceiling, feeling like he can’t remember how to move, panting as he tries to catch his breath.

“Huh,” Shane says, pulling off of his dick with a comical _pop_ and wiping his mouth with the back of his arm. “That was good.”

“Less messy than I expected,” Sara pipes up from beside them, even though Ryan knows she’s probably already leaking Shane’s come all over the sheets. “I had fewer holes filled.”

“ _Sara_ ,” Ryan hisses, because he really can’t handle an attack like that when he’s so vulnerable. She laughs and rolls over to press a kiss to the side of his head.

“We’ll get there,” she promises, and then the bed shifts as she slides away, heading in the direction of the bathroom. A few seconds later, Ryan hears the shower start up.

“Fuck,” Ryan says aloud and Shane shifts upwards to be in his eyeline.

“You okay?” he asks and Ryan rubs his face and actually considers the question.

“This feels like a fever dream,” he admits. “But a good one.”

Shane huffs a laugh and nods. “Yeah, I feel you. When Sara first pitched the idea of a date auction to get the chance to date you, I told her it would never work. Now look at us.”

Ryan pauses, staring at Shane with a deadpan expression before leaning up on one elbow. “What?” he asks. “What are you talking about? This whole project exists because you — ”

“Oh, did we not mention that?” Shane asks, bringing his hand up to his chin as he pretends to think. “I mean, charity is good, but you’re better.”

“Oh my god,” Ryan complains, pinching at the bridge of his nose. “You’re idiots.”

“Hey now,” Shane replies. “We got what we wanted in the end.”

“I can’t believe you — ” Ryan starts, but gets cut off when Shane leans in to kiss him. His mind whirs, but can’t seem to catch any actual thoughts, and eventually Shane pulls back.

“I’m kidding,” he says. “Management wanted to involve something with a local charity. Sara just thought it would be a cute idea. It took us longer than we'll ever admit to realize we could abuse the system and win you with our tag team bidding.”

Ryan shoves at Shane, hating — and yet loving — the way he laughs as he flops back into the sheets.

“You’re too easy,” Shane tells him. “This is gonna be great.”

Ryan thinks about grabbing the nearest pillow and pressing it against Shane’s face to smother him, but he doesn’t want to give Shane the satisfaction of a reaction.

“I’m going to join Sara,” he says instead, scooting down the bed until he can swing his legs over the edge.

Before he can stand up and walk away, Shane grabs his wrist and drags him into a kiss. It’s soft and surprisingly chaste considering all they’ve just done.

“Thanks for letting us date you,” he says against Ryan’s mouth when he pulls back and Ryan lets out a slow breath.

“Wasn’t my choice,” he says. “Guess the heart wants what the heart wants.”

Shane’s expression softens even further as he smiles and Ryan can’t help but pull him in for another kiss.

*

“How do you think your date went?” Sara asks from off camera. She’s sitting on a stool with a notepad of questions in her lap and Ryan has a hard time remembering he’s meant to look into the lens, not her eyes.

“Despite you and Shane cheating?” he asks and she grins, but doesn’t take the bait. “I think it went well. It really gave us some two-on-one bonding time and nothing says _hot date_ quite like being a third wheel.”

Shane makes a noise of outrage from behind the other side of the camera. “Third wheel?” he asks incredulously. “You wish. We treated you like royalty.”

“Yeah, royalty in France in the late seventeen-hundreds.”

“Your head is still attached to your shoulders,” Shane retorts. “I think we did an okay job.”

Ryan can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, alright,” he admits. “I had a good time.”

“Is there anything else you want to tell everybody?” Sara asks and when she meets his gaze, there’s a devious twinkle in her eye.

Ryan laughs again, imagining how freeing it would be to just admit to everything and have their business out there for everyone to know. But instead, he drags his bottom lip along his teeth and pretends to think.

“There is one thing,” he says before looking at the camera lens. “I totally would have gone on that date with them for free.”

Shane snorts loudly while Sara throws back her head to laugh, and Ryan couldn’t ask for more.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to share feelings, you can also find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/blacktofade) and [Tumblr](http://blacktofade.tumblr.com/).


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